Interesting cryptic fact #3

'How to find expert codebreakers ...’

This interesting cryptic fact #3 gives a fascinating insight into the British WWII effort. For more facts, see the links below …

During World War II, in the UK, the ability to solve The Daily Telegraph cryptic crossword in under 12 minutes was used as a recruitment test.

Military chiefs searching for talented code-breakers asked the newspaper to organise a timed crossword competition. Successful participants were later contacted and asked if they would undertake “a particular type of work as a contribution to the war effort”.

The work was at the United Kingdom's main code-breaking establishment,
Bletchley Park.

Codes and ciphers of several Axis countries were deciphered there, most famously the German Enigma.

The high-level intelligence produced by Bletchley Park, codenamed Ultra, is frequently credited with aiding the Allied war effort and shortening the war.

You can read more about the code-breaking role of cryptic crosswords in
an article by Michael Smith
published by The Telegraph in the UK in 1998.